A peculiar pack of cards
Say it’s game night, and you have a stack of games to choose from. But you really would rather just play a hand of cards, Omi, 3-0-4, 5-3-2, Juse, poker or any other game you invented/re-invented that uses a regular 52-card pack. Every home has one, but not everyone’s is unique.
Three young people - Amrit, Shineya and Janveeka – The Odd Lot, are the creators of a unique pack of playing cards.
“Our current (and only main product at the moment) is a deck of playing cards with androgynous characters. We wanted to use playing cards as a medium to challenge prevalent beauty standards in Sri Lanka by trying to normalize so called “oddities”. We wanted to encourage people to be more comfortable in their own skin whether it be a girl/woman embracing her unibrow and/or stache, or a boy/man accessorizing. In the same manner (although it isn’t illustrated in the cards), we wanted people to know that it’s completely okay if they choose to remove every strand of facial/body hair or not accessorize at all,” says Janveeka, a recent Marketing graduate and the artist behind the norm-bending, quirky characters on the cards. She points out that the deck of cards was their way of telling people that regardless of how they chose to present themselves, they will be loved, and that it’s important to remain true to what makes you feel real and comfortable. The deck of cards also come with a story card that gives out this message to users.
Amrit, a graphic designer by profession, adds, “We understand that the issue of beauty standards goes well beyond facial, body hair and men embracing seemingly feminine accessories. However, we chose these few as they were close to our hearts.”
The three friends used to religiously meet up at least once or twice a week for an intense game of Omi – usually at the Diyawanna Good Market. “Playing cards was something we truly enjoyed, and with creative personalities, we began to toy with the idea of creating our own card pack. To be honest, it wasn’t really a business savvy plan, but it was driven by curiosity and our urge to find a creative outlet,” says Shineya, self-taught typographer and a business analyst by profession.
The trio came up with the idea of creating their own card pack around 2014, but things didn’t fall into place till May 2016. “After many failed iterations of characters and themes, we finally created one that was not only personal to us, but relatable to so many others,” Janveeka explains.
There is a reason they call themselves The Odd Lot: “We coined our brand as ‘The Odd Lot’ to put a more positive spin on what it means to be “odd”. We believe what makes you “odd” is also what makes you unique,” says Amrit, adding that the quirky, Sri Lankan style in the designs also made “The Odd Lot” an apt name.
The artwork, including the designs and typography, are all hand drawn/written which are later digitized for refining and product creation. “Our first batch of cards was actually in some sense “handmade” as the printers messed up our order, and so the three of us spent a good 3-4 days sorting through all 50 decks, cutting the edges of the cards, and boxing them back up. But there is a strong hand drawn and written element as the raw drawings and writing are only changed in colour, and aren’t digitally done over,” explains Shineya.
So far, The Odd Lot has received a positive response, especially at last year’s Colombo Design Market: Ink and Print Edition. “It was extremely encouraging and heartwarming to hear people say that they loved the concept of the pack. Special mention of the Black Cat Cafe for being our biggest supporters! Youssef and Soharni were incredibly encouraging and beyond hospitable for allowing us to spend hours on end creating the packs at the cafe, and ultimately selling them there,” enthuses Janveeka. 
The Odd Lot produce the card packs in batches of 50. Up to date they’ve sold approximately 100 packs, and are currently in the process of restocking another 50. The card packs are currently sold at the Black Cat Cafe, Cafe Kumbuk and PR.
The group admits ruefully that they haven’t been as active as they would like to be, as all three are busy with work.
“Selecting a theme has been one of the most challenging parts of the process as we go through so many variations until we find one that really hits home. We want our products to go beyond its aesthetic value to something that touches the heart, even if it’s in the smallest of ways. We don’t take our themes lightly and spend a good amount of time debating what it means to us,” Amrit says.
Shineya agrees, “The Odd Lot is our creative outlet. So it’s fair to say that the brand is less of a small business and more of a collective hobby that we use to share our work with the rest of the world.”
They do have something new up their sleeves for this year: “Although our first project was card packs, the brand isn’t solely based on creating games. The Odd Lot is a design-based brand, so the opportunities are endless! For now, we are focusing on creating a series of tote bags with designs that portray animal-human hybrids,” says Janveeka. The group hopes the bags evoke a sense of humanity and respect for all beings and the environment. “It’s vital that we understand that our everyday actions, especially purchases, have environmental consequences, and with that in mind, we hope that our ‘Marketing Malla’ edition of totes will be used in an effort to reduce the use of plastic bags when buying groceries or shopping in general.”
The trio reiterate that their designs and product are driven by themes and ideas that are both close to them, and ones that could possibly resonate with many others. “We hope that our products and the little message it brings, is something that will help people be more open and accepting of our quirks and differences.”
You can look them up on
www.facebook.com/pg/theoddlot.sl
www.instagram.com/_theoddlot_/#